The terminals will provide long-awaited increased bandwidth using the satellite's Extended Data Rate waveform, one of the military's most complex, low probability-detect, anti-jam waveforms.

Raytheon's Navy Multiband Terminal (NMT), which will be installed on more than 300 U.S. Navy ships, subs and shore stations, has successfully completed a Full Rate Production (FRP) review by the Navy.

The review included a report that determined NMT was both operationally suitable and operationally effective, and further recommended the continued fleet introduction of NMT as a replacement for legacy military satellite communications systems.

Raytheon has already delivered 75 terminals under contract, with an estimated total of 350 over the life of the 15-year program.

NMT provides secure, protected communications links with orbiting military satellites. The terminals will give the United States and three international partners - Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom - up to five times the bandwidth with lower size, weight and power than the systems they will replace.

"Our Navy terminals can withstand the harshest of environments at sea while maintaining constant contact with the satellite," said Scott Whatmough, vice president of Integrated Communication Systems in Raytheon's Network Centric Systems business.

NMT is one of three Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) terminals from Raytheon that have passed production acquisition milestone decisions and successfully tested with the on-orbit AEHF satellite.

All three terminals have supported, and are fully compatible with, the military's two on-orbit AEHF satellites, as well as with the legacy Milstar satellites.

Raytheon's fielded terminals are ready to provide the military with fully interoperable communications as soon as the AEHF satellites complete testing and are operational.

The terminals will provide long-awaited increased bandwidth using the satellite's Extended Data Rate waveform, one of the military's most complex, low probability-detect, anti-jam waveforms.

Raytheon is the only defense contractor with AEHF terminals for three branches of the military.

Europe launches major British military satelliteParis (AFP) Dec 20, 2012
A European rocket has launched a major satellite designed to expand telecommunications for the British military from the Kourou space base in French Guiana, flight operators said.
Skynet 5D - the fourth in Britain's new generation of Skynet military satellites - was taken aloft by a heavy Ariane 5 at 2149 GMT on Wednesday, Arianespace said in an Internet feed of the launch.
The 4.8-ton ... read more

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